Henri Charriere

WARNING! OLD THREAD! [Unasked question: what is the average lurker to deduce from an image of a coin being held by a gloved hand over a sink!!!?]

Very colorful collage!

For reasons only a psychiatrist would understand, I take all GTG posts as a personal challenge. Fortunately, for me, my standing on the Board is so low, I have nothing to lose. First things first: who posted this? (🐓 : Why, the OP, of course!) Very funny. Secondly, check to see who weighed in on this. And finally, render an opinion... Problem is, this is a trick question. The viewer is being asked to ignore the wear on the hair behind the ear, the suggestion of wear on the 🎀 and, on the reverse, what appears to be wear on the feathers 🪶 more evident on those closest to the rim. Accordingly, I cannot in good conscience assign a grade within the Mint State range. (🐓 : Why is it so difficult for you to say AU, then?) Well, for the same reason no medical doctor has ever determined a woman to be AP, i.e., Almost Pregnant. To the OP: Having delivered my statement, I am now prepared to receive your judgment. Your humble, obedient servant, etc. Edit: FWIW, I think it very telling that of the roughly dozen opinions rendered, NO member has elected to endorse another member's opinion.

And a very fine collection it is. Thank you for sharing it with us.

To the OP: Can't allow you, or JB, to steal my thunder so I'm going to go out on a limb here for you. You're no doubt familiar with silver bars embossed (bas relief) with the name ENGELHARD, right? Now you wouldn't need to certify it because that name, that "hallmark," speaks for itself. Weight, purity, dimensions are there for all to see. REVERE WARE serves the same purpose. That's an instantly recognizable trademark. I, Quintus Arrius, resident rank amateur, do hereby certify your product as the real McCoy and, armed with my trusty thirty-power, stand fully behind my opinion -- and waive all fees. 😉

N Y P L 521 West 43rd Street. (212) 714-8529 - patents office.

Comment for future historians... self-derailment. The OP committed irreversible error, inadvertently, when he identified the source of his find.

As long as your imprimatur is on this, I have no further questions. 🐓

No comment.

@coinsarefun OK, I get it. One holder is strategically covered up. Another is apparently undeserving of a holder. Most are presumably authenticated and certified -- with grades! One question: have any facsimiles been counterfeited? Nice treasure trove! 🐓

I could be wrong but I believe with the advent of computers, all microfilmed records have been reduced to computerized records. There is, or was, a branch of the New York Public Library dedicated solely to patents and trademarks on far West 43rd Street, Manhattan, then a rarely visited location. Is it still there? Your guess is as good as mine. Judging by what I saw, a lot of photocopied reels were consigned to fire. Upgrades to computer files have done away with newspaper morgues and entire law libraries of reporters and supplements cited by RWB in his studies. 🐓

If a bunch of blokes can manage to steal a Giant Canadian Maple Leaf 🍁 from a museum in Germany weighing 100 kgs. [221 lbs. / 3,215 Troy ozs] and worth millions with nothing more complicated than a skateboard and wheelbarrow, I don't think bags of U.S. currency, infinitely lighter by comparison, would pose much of a challenge beyond dispersal since the series and serial numbers of each bill was pre-recorded. True, the truck robbers were eventually caught (and given ridiculously short "skid bids") or died, but neither the coin itself -- on loan from a private clollector -- or its gold content were ever recovered but that was nearly five years ago compared with nearly one hundred years ago (when such a robbery was a local offense and the FDIC and FBI did not exist). [Readers enthralled by robberies, larcenies and the like, may wish to consult @RWB's parallel sister thread, "More on thefts from U.S. Mints," begun on 1/6/2022.]

Forgive me, @Oldhoopster & @zadok, but I find misspellings distracting... the word is SUPERSEDE!!! I don't care how old the thread is. It's never too late to learn. 🐓

@rrantique Nice to see your Coronary Care Unit got it right. My only complaint with the ASE's is they do not specify the fineness. Yours does. 👍 Great coin!

I can't believe you snuck that "pedigree" by @RWB! Here's my take on the compilation for speed readers... "not complete, no convictions, never specified, impossible to determine, believed to be..., no further details, no clear audit, no prosecution, never located, deficiencies, [mis]stamped, error, not detected, no way to recover theft, excessive wastage, altered journal entries, only $25,000 could be traced, no resolution due to confused and irregular bookkeeping, undetermined loss, loss not disclosed, theft....never solved, no recovery, [charged] but not convicted, undetermined, estimated amount substantial....never specified, amount of loss not disclosed." That's it in a nutshell. 😉 🐓

CORRECTIONS AND AMPLIFICATIONS... Going w-a-a-a-y back to Wed. 2:42 pm, but hopefully within the statutory limits for responding to old posts set by yourself and at least one other easily flustered member, you will find "38?", within a parenthetical comment regarding the number of participating Powerball states. I simply wasn't sure. Over the years, the number has crept upward. Google is as Google does. Ditto the mass media. Texting has virtually destroyed writing: the contraction for "you are," is not "your;" it's "you're." Mess with people? And lose a First Class stalker like you? No way! 😉 🐓

@ronnie stein More money; more problems... I recently received a letter stating matter-of-factly that due to the nearly 6% increase in Soc. Sec. benefits, a commensurate decrease would be made in my SNAP benefits. When you are retired, all entitlements get slashed. Back in 1984 I had a personal injury settlement. Non-taxable, but 1/3 went to the hospital, 1/3 went to my lawyer, and 1/3 went to me -- minus any outstanding debts. I am 70. All entitlements are fair game. My wife's SSI disability payment was reduced to $135.17/mo. [To] make a long story short, I was given an ultimatum: get rid of it (with a mountain of restrictions) and then the unsmiling clerk behind the thick glass turned around and pointedly warned me: SAVE ALL YOUR RECEIPTS! I figure in another five years -- they go back four -- I should become a civilized human being again if I am still alive. A lot of people who win cars and vacations on game shows are unaware that taxes have to be paid on those prizes. If you're younger, you have options: pay off your student debt, put your money in stocks, bonds, IRA's, etc. If you are older you have options too, but they're not as palatable. Every person you know has there own financial circumstance. For me, realistically, I would have to seek out professional help. But don't make your problem other people's problems by tossing money around they will have to explain (and pay a tax on) in due course.

We went from mere rowdies to an insurrectionist V-shaped tactical mob!

If these were my friends, I would advise the oldest in the grouping to occupy dead center and each of the other five to be arranged clockwise aligned vertically, next older first, and ending with the latest year of Issue in the 10 to 11 position. In NYC, this would be characterized, at the least, as disorderly conduct, at least, or conspiracy to commit a misdmeanor, which some may be a felony, at worst. I love Walkers and the fact Weinman's design was chosen over all others to represent American bullion dollars speaks volumes. Drinks on the house! 🐓 [Like]

I seriously doubt this is possible, but I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. My mouth is larger than a rat's and my stomach is bigger, too. I am going to swallow one of my French 20-franc gold roosters. If you hear fro me, you're right. If you don't, well, I will hold you blameless. 😉

Is that "Real... RAW" they're singing? After the Trial of the Pyx," to whom may a I direct my complaint concerning denial of royalties and residuals? Great video; I'm not keen on rap, but I'll let it slide.

Note to members... Two people won the powerball. The winning numbers were 6-14-25-33-46 and PB: 17. The final pot was 632.5 mil, but how much they will be able to claim, before taxes, depends on the states they reside in. There were 3 million winners of lesser prizes. For reasons I have not quite understood, none of this makes any difference to me or my wife. This thread if for you to ruminate over things you've never really thought about before. I enjoy reading about other members' goals.

That comment pretty much sums of the reason for the move though I don't know that for fact. Harvey G. Stack is the coin collecting hobby. His passing marks the end of a critical era.

Without you, I am nothing. 🐓

I am pleased as punch that nothing will hold you back from completing your East German collection. That' the spirit! Rickey, the 🐓 , assures me I have nothing to fear from the likes of titans like D. L. HANSEN. I am as synonymous with 🐓 as you are with your Faustina aurora borealis 😉 RICKY has never steered me wong; I trust him implicitly. My only concern is re-immersing myself, with the assistance of Providence in Frence World Gold Coins; D. L has no choice but to confine his interest to attempting to amass the greatet coins of U. S. Mintage.. I'm in like Flint... What, me worry? P.S. to the OP: as a courtesy, I will pick up business cards at NYINC from those trafficking in your coin of choice., and PM, you, wihout delay.